Claude Gatebuke -- Rwanda survivorI am a 2010 Carl Wilkens Fellow with the Genocide Intervention Network. In 1994, my country descended into unimaginable horror. In just 100 days, nearly one million people were slaughtered by government-run militias. During that time, I escaped machete-wielding militias, bombings and gunfire that engulfed my city of Kigali -- there was even a time when I was asked to dig my own grave. I survived, thanks to good-hearted "upstanders" who negotiated for my life. Too many others were not as fortunate.

As the genocide unfolded, the United States and the international community stood by and let these crimes take place -- there was no political will to push for action to end the atrocities. Now, as a survivor, it is my duty to honor those who perished in Rwanda by doing everything I can to bring an end to genocide and mass atrocities. This is why I became a Carl Wilkens Fellow -- I now work every day to develop the leadership skills I need to become a powerful voice in this fight.

Helen Farkas -- Holocaust survivorHelen Farkas was born in 1920 in a province of Transylvania. During World War II, Helen and members of her family were transported from their rural home to a ghetto, and then to Auschwitz. Helen has been speaking to students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for years, sharing her terrifyingly unique and painful story as a Holocaust survivor with depth, grace, and remarkable compassion.